Halcyon Camera vs Slay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Halcyon Camera
Capture photos and videos with the authentic look and feel of classic film stocks. Offers professional manual controls, advanced editing tools, and various shooting modes like long exposure and slow-motion.
- Authentic film stock simulations
- Full manual camera controls
- Long exposure and slow-motion video
- WYSIWYG editing with film simulation
- Pro video recording options
- Built-in pro overlays and grids
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Halcyon brings the soul of film to your iPhone. Twelve hand-crafted film stocks — Kodak Portra 400, Cinestill 800T, Velvia 50, Tri-X 400 and more — each with the temperature, tone curve, grain, and halation of the real thing. Apply them live, before you take the shot, and what you see is exactly what you get. REAL PRO CONTROLS, ONE-HANDED. Full manual ISO, shutter, focus, white balance, and exposure. Tap to focus. Long-press for AE/AF lock. Pinch to zoom. Volume buttons fire the shutter. Lens switcher for ultrawide, wide, telephoto. Halide-style focus loupe magnifies the sharpness plane as you rack focus. Histogram, waveform, focus peaking, zebras, false color, horizon level — when you need them, hidden when you don't. NEW IN 3.2 — LONG EXPOSURE, SLOW-MO, LIVE PHOTO. • Multi-frame long exposure — 2, 5, 10, or 20 second stacks with automatic alignment for handheld light trails, silky water, and star fields • Slow-motion capture at 120fps and 240fps • Live Photo for every film stock — the frames before and after, with the film baked in • Thermal and storage health warnings before a long take can bite you • Alternate app icons: Amber, Midnight, Noir BUILT-IN PRO OVERLAYS. • Histogram — real-time RGB • Waveform — luminance monitor • Focus peaking — see what's sharp • Focus loupe — Halide-style magnifier • Zebras — highlight clipping alert • False color — exposure map • Horizon level — stop crooked photos • Rule-of-thirds grid • Cinematic frame modes — square, 3:2, 16:9, half-frame • Live ISO / shutter chips PRO VIDEO WITH FILM SIMULATION. Record HEVC, ProRes 422 HQ, or Apple Log with the film baked in. Cinematic 24fps, 4K, live audio, plus 120/240fps slow-motion. EVERYTHING IS YOURS. WYSIWYG: every effect — film, grain, halation — is baked into the saved photo. ProRAW is preserved as alternate. Create custom film recipes with a 14-slider editor. Save them, share them, refine them. YOUR PHOTOS STAY ON YOUR DEVICE. No analytics. No data collection. No network requests. Nothing leaves your iPhone. Made with care for everyone who misses film.
Slay
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Your camera just learned composition. Slay is the AI composition guide camera. It shows you exactly where your subject should go, tracks it live, and taps you the moment the shot is locked. No more guessing where to stand. No more "why does my photo look flat?" Frame it right before you press the shutter, not after. POINT. LOCK. SHOOT. • 14 composition guides drawn live on your viewfinder: rule of thirds, vanishing point, triangles, portraits, aerial and more • On-device AI finds your subject and follows it as you move • When it lands in the zone, the guide lights up, the screen reads LOCKED and your phone gives a firm tap • Turn the guide dial like a focus ring, and the lens zooms to the focal length that guide loves • A horizon level keeps every shot straight SEE HOW CLOSE YOU GOT • Every photo gets a shot report: subject in zone, horizon level, film stock used • Photos develop like prints in the Darkroom, so you can review your best frames • Get a little better with every shot 38 FILM STOCKS, ZERO EDITING • Cinematic looks with names and catalogue codes, like Arabica 12 and Neon 770 • Applied live in the viewfinder and baked into your photo • Swipe to switch, hold A/B to compare with the original, slide the strength • Fine-tune exposure, contrast, saturation, warmth and tint for your signature look LEARN BY SHOOTING • The Field Guide: 18 short lessons on framing, light, color and mood • Lessons end with an assignment that opens the camera with the right guide loaded • Today's assignment waits for you on the home screen FEELS LIKE A REAL CAMERA • Darkroom Instrument design: warm graphite, one safelight glow, keys that press like hardware • Haptics for the shutter, the lock, the level and the dial • 0.5x, 1.5x, 2x and 3x lenses, flash, grid, HEIF or JPEG • Fast live preview built for iOS 26 PRIVATE BY DESIGN • The AI runs entirely on your iPhone • No account, no ads, no tracking • Your photos never leave your phone FREE TO DOWNLOAD Start free with 2 composition guides, 5 film stocks and the first 3 lessons. SLAY PRO Unlock everything: • All 14 composition guides • All 38 film stocks • Every Field Guide lesson • New guides and looks as they drop Choose weekly, monthly with a free trial, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms: https://www.slaycamera.com/terms Privacy: https://www.slaycamera.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Halcyon Camera at every 2 days against Slay's every 10 days. Halcyon Camera also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Halcyon Camera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Slay sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Halcyon Camera ships an update every 2 days, Slay every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Halcyon Camera | Slay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Birkan Aksoy | Ibrohim Abdivokhidov |
In-app purchases
Halcyon Camera
- Halcyon Pro$9.99
Slay
- Slay Pro Weekly$1.997 Days
- Slay Camera Pro Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Slay Camera Pro Lifetime$39.99









